Strong Voice For The Graduating Class

BLOOMFIELD — For the past two years, Chantelle Archer served as the public voice of the students of Bloomfield High School.

As the student representative at board of education meetings, it was her job to inform residents, parents and the board about the good things going on at her school.

The job gave Archer, 17, a front row seat to view the controversies that the school and the school system were enduring.

``It was hard. You want to change the negative things,'' Archer said. ``Sometimes people assume Bloomfield High is bad. But they don't get to see it like us.''

But Archer made sure people heard about the good things too -- about the resurrection of the band programs, the excellence of the sports teams and her class, the Class of 2002.

``We were a good class. There wasn't much trouble and we had a lot of school spirit,'' she said. ``We were focused and a lot of us are going to college.''

Archer, who will be majoring in engineering at Trinity College in the fall, joined her graduating class of 168 Thursday night in the school's gymnasium for commencement.

With colorful balloons tethered over the crowd, music from the school's revived performing arts department and cheers and chants rising up from the crowd, other members of the Class of 2002 also had a chance to have their voices heard.

They talked of memories. They talked of commitment and focus. They spoke of Sept. 11. And they talked about how important their families were in their journey through school.

The crowd also had an opportunity to listen to a voice from the past, as a former teacher returned to the school to give the keynote speech.

Elnora Rowan, who spent 18 years at the school before becoming a vice principal at Sage Park Middle School in Windsor, said that though graduation is a time for rejoicing, it can also be a time of uncertainty for young adults starting out on their trip through life.

She offered them some road signs to rely on. Those signs included respect, communication, education, collaboration, diversity, compassion, spirituality, perseverance, family and even failure.

``Failure is a part of success,'' she said. ``You'll try, and you'll fail. But you get up and try again.''

In closing, Rowan implored class members to be somebody and stand for something.

``Make something out of America,'' she said. ``Because we are depending on you.''